Reading The Mark of Athena
by AvyUnbroken
Summary: It was a normal day at Camp Half-Blood- well as normal as possible, with minor problems including hair, paintings, and the missing hero, Percy Jackson. Rachel, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth are transported into a frozen time of the gods in the past. With a strange book called the Mark of Athena...
1. Problems and Secrets

**Hi! So I realized like, no one has done this so I want to give this a shot! My first reading story! It's set between The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the series because a certain someone *looks at Rick Riordan* won't let me. **

Rachel's POV:

It was a normal day for Rachel at Camp Half-Blood. She was stuck in her cave, painting things she saw in the future- the most disturbing one was Percy holding onto the ledge of a dark pit, holding onto Annabeth's hand. He was sweaty, and Annabeth and him both had scraps and scars all over there bodies. Annabeth had a spider web secured tightly around her foot, which seemed to be pulling her down.

Rachel was scared for Annabeth and Percy, but the good news was that Percy and Annabeth would be back together, even if it ended in... tragedy.

"Hey!" Annabeth said, coming in. Rachel quickly covered the painting and smiled at Annabeth in a, _I'm-innocent-so-don't-kill-me! _way. Annabeth looked at her curiously.

"Chiron wants to see you. He said bring your latest artwork, too." she said, still staring at her.

"Sure. I'll be there in a second." Annabeth glanced at her before heading out of the cave. Rachel uncovered the painting and looked at it.

_These are one of the moments that I'm happy I'm not a demigod. _She thought.

Annabeth's POV:

Rachel was acting suspicious. The painting she covered up must have been important, because Rachel covered it up when she saw Annabeth, and Chiron asked Rachel to bring it to her office. Annabeth would be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit curious of the picture. _Was she in it? Was __he__ in it? Why was it so dangerous?_ All these questions floated around in her head as she walked to the Athena cabin.

She sat on her bed and picked up a damaged picture. She sighed looking at the last memory of her boyfriend before he disappeared. He had his arms around her shoulders and he was grinning like an idiot. Though, Annabeth wasn't much different.

_Oh Percy... why'd you have to leave?_

Piper's POV:

Piper was not exactly happy. She was beautified again thanks to the idiot sons of Hermes and their pranking needs. Her hair was cut even and braided down the side of her hair. She shuddered thinking about the Stolls with a pair of scissors so close to her face. She was wearing make-up- she didn't know how the Stolls managed to put it on so perfectly. She wasn't exactly sure if it was them, but- who else?

She walked along camp with her hoodie on, and looking down so people couldn't see he make-up infested face. She saw the Stolls walking to the Hermes cabin, and she walked over.

"Hi boys." Piper said sweetly. They froze. "Turn around for me." She ordered. They did as told.

"H-hi Piper. Looking pretty today." Travis snickered. She glowered at him.

"Why don't you play chase with that Naiad?" Piper smiled. Travis nodded enthusiastically and chased the Naiad around the woods borders. She turned to Connor. "Any last words?" Connor gulped. Before he could say anything, Piper jumped on him. She unsheathed her dagger aqnd pointed it at Connor's throat.

"Try to prank me again, and I won't be so nice." Piper threaten. Connor nodded. She got off him. Connor ran off screaming _Bloody Murderer! _

She smirked and left Travis chasing the Naiad.

Rachel's POV:

"Chiron?" Rachel called, coming into his office.

"I am here, child." Chiron said. Rachel sat down in front of him. "Have you brought the painting?" Rachel nodded. She handed it to him. Chiron took it and held it gingerly, like it was a ticking time bomb. He studied it.

"I have been expecting it." He said finally.

"What?"

"I have had a feeling since Percy went missing. Something big is about to go on."

"Of course. The Greeks will be united with the Romans and there will be civil war, and Gaea is rising." Rachel said, confused.

"Not just that, child. Something... else. A quest gone wrong." Chiron said gravely.

"Ch-" Rachel started. Suddenly a light hit Rachel and consumed her- and unknown to Rachel, the light also hit in 6 other places too.

"Oh, yes." Chiron said. "I have been expecting that as well."


	2. Annabeth I

**Sorry it took so long! if I'd never realized how much work a reading fanfic is. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and all of that mushy stuff! Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

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Jason's POV:

One minute, Jason was sword fighting, the next he was engulfed in a bright light. The odds weren't in his favor today. He appeared on Olympus. He almost fell over, but managed to stay on his feet. Only to be knocked down by a person who fell.

Jason groaned as he stayed pinned to the ground.

"Oh my gods. Sorry Jason." Piper said and got up.

"It's okay." Jason got up and moved out of the way just in time for 5 more people to fall. They all groaned.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

"I don't know." Piper said. The others got up. Thalia, Nico, and Annabeth looked around the room.

"Oh my gods!" Annabeth exclaimed. Jason looked around. It seemed normal- of course he'd never been up on Olympus before.

"What?" Leo said.

"Olympus!" Thalia said. "This was before the Titan war." Annabeth nodded. Apollo came into the Throne room with Hermes on his tails.

"Dude, look at these drachmas-" He stopped when he saw us.

"What are demigods doing here?" Hermes asked.

"We don't know." They said in union. Hermes suddenly yelped. He picked up his caduceus and it transformed into a messenger bag. He plucked the package out of the bag and handed to Apollo. He grabbed it and read aloud.

_"Dear Apollo, Hermes, and demigods,_

_We have sent you back in time to read of an upcoming future quest __most of you will attend._

_ Please call all the Olympians to read the book with you. _

_They will not know the Demigods since they were not born yet._

_This book will affect the future. Knowing the future will cause chaos unless used wisely. _

_We will trust you and will wipe your memory if knowing the future is too much to handle. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ The Fates_

"Okay. Apollo and Hermes go get the Gods." Annabeth said. "Then we'll introduce ourselves." They nodded and flashed out.

Nobody's POV:

"So we're reading about the future?" Leo asked. "Cool!"

"Other than the fact that if we don't do this right, we might doom us all." Piper pointed out.

"Oh... yay." He said. Artemis and Athena flashed in, and soon enough the rest of the gods were there.

"Introduce yourselves." Zeus ordered. "I already know of the situation." The demigods nodded. Piper stepped forward uncertainly.

"Uh... well, I'm Piper McLean, Daughter of Aphrodite." She stepped back and Jason stepped forward.

"Jason Grace, Son of J-" He looked at the group, like, _do I tell them? _They nodded. If this was the future, the gods will found out soon enough. "Jupiter." He confirmed. They gave them confused, cautious, and terrified looks, but said nothing. They would find out anyway.

"Leo the awesome Valdez, son of the awesomest god ever-"

"Who's your parent, boy?" Zeus said, annoyed.

"Hephaestus."

"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena."

"Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus."

"Nico Di-Angelo, son of Hades." The Olympians nodded, still confused about the Roman-Greek thing.

"Shall we start reading?" Artemis asked. Apollo rolled his eyes at her language.

"But where's the book?" Hades asked. Then it fell on his head. "I just had to say something." Piper picked up the book.

**"_The Mark of Athena."_ **She read.

"Who wants to start?" Annabeth asked. Nico raised his hand while jumping up and down like a little kid.

"I do I do I do I do I do I do."

"OKAY!" Annabeth exclaimed. She handed the book to him.

**"Annabeth I"** Nico read.

"Haha! We get to hear Annie's thoughts!" Nico cheered. Annabeth smiled sickly sweet at him. Nico gulped.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

**Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything.**

**She'd paced the deck of their flying warship, the _Argo __II_, checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down. She confirmed that the white "We come in peace" flag was flying from the mast. She reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.**

Leo whistled. "That's a loottt of back-up plans Annie."

"That's it!" Annabeth exclaimed. "The next person to call me Annie gets to get something sharp, and bronze into their head!" She threatened. The room was silent.

"I like her." Ares whispered to Apollo.

**Most important, she pulled aside their war-crazed chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge, and encouraged him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships. The last thing they needed as they flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a** **middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling "Die!"**

**Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill she'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, at least for now.**

"Mysterious chill?" Athena asked, slightly curious. It was one of the few signs of The Mark...

**The warship descended through the clouds, but Annabeth couldn't stop second-guessing herself. What if this was a bad idea? What if the Romans panicked and attacked them on sight?**

**The _Argo II _definitely did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hull mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete . . . well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-and-greet with the neighbors.**

Piper snorted. "If the neighbors were deadly murders, then yes. It's appropriate."

**Annabeth had tried to give the Romans a heads-up. She'd asked Leo to send one of his special inventions—a holographic scroll—to alert their friends inside the camp. Hopefully the message had gotten through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull—_WASSUP? _with a smiley face—but Annabeth vetoed the idea. She wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor.**

"Eh," Jason said.

**Too late to turn back now.**

**The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them. Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail.**

**Her three crew-mates took their places.**

**On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.**

"AND PROUD!" Leo practically screamed. Piper and Jason cover their ears since they were closest. They whacked him in the head.

**Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines.**

**"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk."**

**Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat.**

Piper bit her lip. She'd always hated being able to do that to people.

**For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried hard to play down her beauty. Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink _Hello Kitty _designs. (Maybe as a joke, though Annabeth could never be sure with Piper.) Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather.**

**Then there was Piper's boyfriend—Jason. He stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—**

"Wow!" Nico called in fake shock. "I thought Percy was your boyfriend, Annie." He had just enough time to duck before the dagger hit the wall above him.

"I keep my promises." Annabeth said flatly. Thalia and Piper who were closest, scooted away a little.

** just like a son of Jupiter should.**

**He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.**

**Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn't completely trust the guy. He acted too perfect—always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even _looked _too perfect. In the back of her mind, she had a nagging thought: What if this is a trick and he betrays us? What if we sail into Camp Jupiter, and he says, _Hey, Romans! Check out these prisoners __and this cool ship I brought_ _you!_**

"Wow who knew Annabeth had humor." Leo muttered. Lucky for Leo, Annabeth was just out of an earshot.

**Annabeth doubted that would happen. Still, she couldn't look at him without getting a bitter taste in her mouth. He'd been part of Hera's forced "exchange program" to introduce the two camps. Her Most Annoying Majesty, Queen of Olympus, had convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children the giants.**

**Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Annabeth's boyfriend, wiped his memory, and sent him to the Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Jason. None of that was Jason's fault; but every time Annabeth saw him, she remembered how much she missed Percy.**

**Percy . . . who was somewhere below them right now.**

**_Oh, gods. _Panic welled up inside her.**

"Someone scared to see their boyfriend?" Thalia teased.

** She forced it down.**

**She couldn't afford to get overwhelmed.**

**_I'm a child of Athena_, she told herself. _I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted._**

Thalia frowned. She shouldn't be so hard on herself.

**She felt it again—that familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept up behind her and was breathing down her neck. She turned, but no one was there.**

**Must be her nerves. Even in a world of gods and monsters, Annabeth couldn't believe a new warship would be haunted. The _Argo II _was well protected. The Celestial bronze shields along the rail were enchanted to ward off monsters, and their on board satyr, Coach Hedge, would have sniffed out any intruders.**

**Annabeth wished she could pray to her mother for guidance, but that wasn't possible now. Not after last month, when she'd had that horrible encounter with her mom and gotten the worst present of her life. . . .**

Athena's suspicions were confirmed, while everyone else looked at her quizzically.

**The cold pressed closer. She thought she heard a faint voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in her body tensed. Something was about to go terribly wrong.**

"Athena instinct." All the gods muttered.

**She almost ordered Leo to reverse course. Then, in the valley below, horns sounded. The Romans had spotted them.**

**Annabeth thought she knew what to expect. Jason had described Camp Jupiter to her in great detail. Still, she had trouble believing her eyes. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital letter _G_, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.**

**Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. She recognized landmarks Jason had told her about—the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.**

**She saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.**

**Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the _Argo II_. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafes, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.**

**About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in military history books—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis. **

"How do you know so much about Latin?" Jason asked. Annabeth shrugged.

"I probably stalked up on books."

**A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.**

**Annabeth wanted to land the _Argo II _before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. She scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Percy.**

**Then something behind her went _BOOM!_ **

Everyone leaned forward, anticipating on what cane next.

**The explosion almost knocked her overboard. She whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue. **

"Terminus!" Jason remembered.

**"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.**

**Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.**

**"I will _not _have weapons inside the Pomeranian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I _certainly _will not have Greeks!"**

**Jason shot Annabeth a look that said _I've got this._**

**"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."**

**"Oh, I remember _you_, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"**

**"But they're not enemies—"**

**"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—" **

"It won't work on a god." Poseidon said.

"Duh." Athena said, rolling her eyes.

**"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on _me_, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"**

**Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um . . . okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."**

**"Impertinence!" There was a sharp _POP _and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.**

**"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!" **

"Monstrosity?" Leo asked, looking offended.

**"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I _know _you didn't do that."**

**The idea that Leo might attack the statue with his gaming device was enough to snap Annabeth out of her shock.**

**"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"**

**"Oh, I know who _you _are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of _Athena_, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for _that _goddess." **

Athena muttered under her breath.

**Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic. "What exactly do you mean, _that _goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"**

**"Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"**

**"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"**

**"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender, or leave?"**

**"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"**

**"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."**

**He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal.**

**"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver. "Weapons are _not _allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line." **

"Oh so a screwdrivers a weapon now?" Leo asked sarcastically.

**"The what?" Piper asked.**

**"City limits," Jason translated.**

**"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You _cannot _land!"**

**Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Annabeth scanned the faces and . . . oh, gods. She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies—a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape just like Jason's—the mark of a praetor.**

**Annabeth's heart did a gymnastics routine. **

Nico smirked.

**"Leo, stop the ship," she ordered.**

**"What?"**

**"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."**

**Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.**

**"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering _over _New Rome, is there?"**

**The statue frowned. "Well, no . . ."**

**"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."**

**The statue seemed to ponder this. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands. **

"Most likely." Jason said, smiling. "He always was a little...out of his mind."

**"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still . . ."**

**"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomeranian Line if you tell them to?"**

**"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"**

**"Uh, Annabeth . . ." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"**

**She closed her fists to keep them from shaking. That cold feeling was still there. It floated just behind her, and now that Terminus was no longer shouting and causing explosions, she thought she could hear the presence laughing, as if it was delighted by the bad choices she was making.**

**But Percy was down there . . . he was so close. She _had _to reach him.**

**"It'll be fine," she said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"**

**Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. _Please _try not to destroy my town."**

Nico closed the book. "Who's next?" Piper raised her hand. Nico tossed it to her.

**"Annabeth II" **Piper began.


End file.
